Anabaptism

Anabaptism is a Christian movement which traced its origins to the Reformation in the 16th century. In the 1527 Schleitheim Confession, the Anabaptists stated that they believed that baptism is only valid when a candidate confesses his/her faith in Christ and wants to be baptized; their name means "re-baptism", as they rejected the existing Catholic practice of infant baptism and required believers to be baptized again. Anabaptism was never the established religion of any state, and most of them took a literal interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount, which precluded taking oaths, participating in military actions, and participating in civil government. The Amish and Mennonites are Anabaptists.